Amar-Suen

Although Amar-Suen succeeded his father Shulgi (2094-2047) and ruled as the third king of Ur III dynasty for a period of nine-years (2046-2038), little is known about him. He is not mentioned in economic texts that date to his father’s reign, and the only documents that specifically mention Amar-Suen by name and that date to his reign are building inscriptions (Michalowski 1977:155).

This brick inscription (ca. 1998-1989 BC) follows the standard literary formula for building inscriptions that consists of several lines of epithets and a description of a building or monument that the king commissioned in honor of the god(s). In this text the god Enlil sanctions Amar-Suen’s rule, and he is credited with building a basin for the god Enki at Nippur. Matouš suggests that this basin (referred to as an abzu/zu-ab in the text) was a temple basin that was filled with water and was a symbol of the junction of the physical world and the deep waters of the underworld (Matouš,1962, 3)

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1a. mu ^damar-^dsuen lugal-am₃ Year: "Amar-Suen is king"

1b. mu us₂-sa ha-ar-ši^ki u₃ ki-maš^ki ba-hul Year after the year: "Harshi and Kimaš were destroyed"

click here for CDLI entries dated to Amar-Suen 1

2a. mu ^damar-^dsuen lugal-e ur-bi₂-lum^ki mu-hul Year: "Amar-Suen, the king, destroyed Urbilum"

2b. mu us₂-sa ^damar-^dsuen lugal Year after the year: "Amar-Suen is king"

click here for CDLI entries dated to Amar-Suen 2

3a. mu us₂-sa ^damar-^dsuen lugal-e ur-bi₂-lum^ki mu-hul Year after the year: "Amar-Suen, the king, destroyed Urbilum"

3b. mu ^damar-^dsuen lugal-e ^dgu-za mah ^den-lil₂-la₂ ša₃ hul₂-la in-dim₂ Year: "Amar-Suen, the king, made joyfully a magnificent throne for Enlil"

click here for CDLI entries dated to Amar-Suen 3

4a. mu us₂-sa ^dgu-za mah / ša₃ hul₂-la ^den-lil₂-la₂ ba-dim₂ Year after the year: "A magnificent throne was made joyfully for Enlil"

4b. mu en-mah-gal-an-na en-^dnanna ba-hun-ga₂ Year: "Enmahgalanna, the en-priestess of Nanna, was installed"

4c. mu en-mah-gal-an-na en-^dnanna maš₂-e i₃-pa₃ Year: "Enmahgalanna was chosen by means of the omens as en-priestess of Nanna"

4d. mu en-^dnanna ^damar-^dsuen-ra-ki-ag₂-an-na maš₂-e i₃-pa₃ Year: "The en-priestess of Nanna, Amar-Suenra-kiag-anna, Amar-Sin the beloved of An, was chosen by means of the omens"

click here for CDLI entries dated to Amar-Suen 4

5a. mu us₂-sa en-mah-gal-an-na en-^dnanna ba-hun Year after the year: "Enmahgalanna was installed as en-priestess of Nanna"

5b. mu en-unu₆-gal-an-na / en-u₃-nu-gal-an-na en-^dinanna unu^ki-ga ba-hun Year: "Enunugalanna was installed as en-priest of Inanna in Uruk"

click here for CDLI entries dated to Amar-Suen 5

6a. mu us₂-sa en-unu₆-gal-an-na en-^dinanna unu^ki-ga ba-hun Year after the year: "Enunugalanna was installed as en-priest of Inanna in Uruk"

6b. mu ^damar-^dsuen lugal-e ša-aš-ru-um^ki a-ra₂ 2(diš)-kam u₃ šu-ru-ud-hu-um^ki mu-hul Year: "Amar-Suen, the king, destroyed Shashrum for the second time and Shurudhum"

click here for CDLI entries dated to Amar-Suen 6

7a. mu us₂-sa ša-aš-ru-um^ki ba-hul Year after the year: "Shashrum was destroyed"

7b. mu ^damar-^dsuen lugal-e bi₂-tum-ra-bi₂-um^ki i₃-ab-ru^ki ma-da ma-da-bi u₃ hu-uh₂-nu-ri^ki mu-hul Year: "Amar-Suen, the king, destroyed Bitum-rabium, Jabru, their territories and Huhnuri"

click here for CDLI entries dated to Amar-Suen 7

8a. mu us₂-sa hu-uh₂-nu-ri^ki ba-hul Year after the year: "Huhnuri was destroyed"

8b. mu en-nun-gal-an-na / en-nun-e-^damar-^dsuen ki-ag₂ en eridu^ki ba-hun Year: "Ennungalanna / Ennune-kiag-Amar-Suen, was installed as en-priestess of (Enki in) Eridu"

8c. mu en-nun-ne₂-ki-ag₂ Year: "(Ennune-kiag-Amar-Sin) Ennune-the beloved (of Amar-Suen, was installed as en-priestess of Enki in Eridu)"

click here for CDLI entries dated to Amar-Suen 8

9a. mu us₂-sa en-nun-ne₂-ki-ag₂ Year after the year: "(Ennune-kiag-Amar-Sin) Ennune-the beloved (of Amar-Sin, was installed as en-priestess of Enki in Eridu)"

9b. mu us₂-sa en eridu^ki ba-hun-ga₂ Year after the year: "The en-priestess (of Enki) in Eridu was installed"

9c. mu en-^dnanna-^damar-^dsuen-ki-ag₂-ra en-^dnanna ga-eš^ki / kar-zi-da^ki-ka a-ra₂ 3(diš)-kam ba-hun Year: "En-Nanna-Amar-Suen-kiagra, was installed for the third time as en-priestess of Nanna of Ga’esh / of Karzida"

click here for CDLI entries dated to Amar-Suen 9

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Matouš, L. "The Inscription of Amar-Suen". 1962.

Michalowski, Piotr, "Amar-Su'ena and the Historical Tradition, in Ellis, Maria de Jong (ed.), Essays on the Ancient Near East in Memory of Jacob Joel Finkelstein (Memoirs of the Connecticut Academy of Arts & Sciences, 19), Archon Books: Hamden, Connecticut 1977, 155-157: score transliteration, translation, commentary.